Product Description

Apple Computer PowerMac G4-867MHZ 128MB 60GB SUPERDRIVE-CDRW/DVDR GB ENET 56K

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2876 in Personal Computers
• Brand: Apple
• Model: M9032LL/A
• Platform: Mac OS X
• Dimensions: 39.24 pounds
• CPU: PowerPC G5 2 GHz
• Memory: 512MB DDR SDRAM
• Hard Disk: 160GB
• Graphics: ATI DRADEON 9600 64MB
• Processors: 2
• Networking: 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet
• Included Software: Mac OSX Panther 10.3, iLife (including iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie and iDVD), QuickBooks for Mac New User Edition, FAXstf, SArt Directors Toolkit, Microsoft Office v.X Test Drive, FileMaker Pro Trial, OmniGraffle, OmniOutliner, GraphicConverter, QuickTime, iChat Safari, Sherlock, Address Book, iCal, iSync, DVD Player, Mail EarthLink, Acrobat Reader, Classic enviroment and Apple Developer Tools

Amazon.com Product Review
Early Adopters Pick: June 2003 The world's fastest personal computer and the first with a 64-bit processor -- which means it breaks the 4 GB barrier and can use up to 8 GB of main memory.

Hailed as the fastest personal computer ever released and featuring a truly remarkable set of technological breakthroughs, Apple's Power Mac G5 M9032LL/A is clearly designed for discriminating individuals who simply won't settle for anything less than the very best. For extreme performance and unrelenting power, this, the top of the line Power Mac G5 model, is as good as it gets.

Driven by not one but two 2 GHz Power PC G5 processors, 512 MB ultra-fast PC3200 DDR SDRAM memory per processor (expandable to a gargantuan 8 GB!), and an ATI RADEON 9600 Pro graphics card with 64 MB DDR SDRAM video memory, the Power Mac G5 M9032LL/A certainly seems impressive. But those figures only begin to tell the story. For its latest desktop, Apple teamed with IBM to redesign its leading-edge CPU architecture. Accordingly, the new Power PC G5 is the world's first 64-bit processor. With two of these 2 GB powerhouses running in tandem -- each sporting an industry-leading 1 GHz frontside bus -- the Power Mac G5 M9032LL/A delivers nearly double the throughout of a single 3 GHz Pentium 4-based machine and, according to Apple, runs standard Photoshop tests at 2.2 times the speed of a single 3 GHz Pentium.

But there's more than raw power lurking inside the futuristic anodized aluminum case. For starters, Apple has compartmentalized the unit into four independent sections to direct appropriate airflow to each key component. A total of nine fans work to keep things cool, yet all are extremely low-speed. Thusly the Power Mac G5 M9032LL/A runs three times quieter than the previous Power Mac G4 enclosure.

Apple has loaded the unit with data handling features, including a monstrous 160 GB 7200 RPM hard disk and a DVD-R/CD-RW combo drive (4X DVD write speed) through which you can archive information, play and burn audio CDs, enjoy the latest movies and record home videos. To help you transfer data to and from external peripherals such as optical drives and digital camcorders and cameras, the system also sports two high-speed FireWire 400 ports, one ultra-fast FireWire 800 port, three USB 2.0 ports and two USB 1.1 ports.

Other key amenities include a convenient Apple Pro keyboard, an Apple Pro mouse, three available high-performance PCI-X slots for future expansion, and a broad array of multimedia and Internet software. Connectivity facilities include an integrated 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet port, a built-in 56K modem, and AirPort Extreme wireless support (with an AirPort Extreme card). Speakers and display are available separately.

From the Manufacturer
The Power Mac G5 is the world's fastest personal computer and the first with a 64-bit processor -- which means it breaks the 4 gigabyte barrier and can use up to 8 gigabytes of main memory. The new G5 processor -- available at speeds up to dual 2GHz with a new ultrahigh-bandwidth system architecture featuring AGP 8X and PCI-X -- makes the Power Mac G5 a breakthrough in desktop processing power.

How fast is the world's fastest personal computer?
The new Power Mac G5 throttles past both the fastest Pentium 4 and a dual-processor Xeon workstation when tested using industry standard SPEC CPU 2000 benchmarks -- SPECfp_base2000 and SPECint_base2000 measure the speed of a single task -- either a floating-point calculation or an integer calculation -- executing on a single processor. The "SPEC rate" metrics, which recognize multiple processors, more accurately demonstrate the performance of a dual processor system. The results (see chart below) should make your pulse race just a little bit faster.

"World's fastest" based on SPEC CPU 2000 benchmark results and leading professional application performance tests against 3 GHz Pentium 4-based Dell Dimension 8300 and 3.06 GHz Dual Xeon-based Dell Precision 650. SPEC CPU 2000 benchmarks run with GCC 3.3 and independently tested, full report available from Veritest; professional applications tested by Apple, June 2003.

Ready for the real world
The PowerPC G5 processor dramatically accelerates performance in real world applications, too. When compared head-to-head against the same PCs, in a large series of Photoshop tests the dual 2GHz Power Mac G5 is 2.2 times faster than the 3GHz Pentium 4-based system and almost twice as fast as the dual 3.06GHz Xeon-based system. Additional performance tests reveal similar performance gains for professional music and audio creation, and scientific analysis of genetic research.

Bandwidth to burn
The Power Mac G5's ultra-high bandwidth system architecture features a 1 GHz frontside bus -- one on each processor -- for maximum throughput. And a point-to-point system controller lets data move directly between subsystems, without affecting processor function.

PCI-X expansion
The Power Mac G5 comes with three PCI-X slots, giving you the benefit of the newest advance in PCI technology. The PCI-X protocol is perfect for high-performance PCI devices, increasing speeds from 33 MHz to 133 MHz and throughput from 266 MBps to 2 GBps.

High-speed AGP 8X Pro graphics bus
Compared with the AGP 4X interface, the Power Mac G5's AGP 8X Pro graphics bus effectively doubles the maximum transfer rate and doubles the amount of data transferred in a single AGP bus cycle. The 66 MHz AGP 8X Pro bus strobes eight times per clock cycle, achieving a 533 MHz data rate and a maximum bandwidth of 2.1GB per second -- ideal for the ultrafast graphics cards it ships with, like the ATI Radeon 9800 Pro or NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra.

FireWire 800, USB 2.0 and high-performance I/O
The Power Mac G5 ships with a FireWire 800 port and three USB 2.0 ports (plus two USB 1.1 ports on the keyboard). Gigabit Ethernet, FireWire, USB 2.0 and optical digital and analog audio are all integrated through two bidirectional 16-bit, 800 MHz HyperTransport interconnects for a maximum throughput of 3.2GB per second.

Three powerful models
The Power Mac G5 product line comes in three muscular configurations -- 1.6 GHz, 1.8 GHz and a dual 2 GHz model. They all feature the legendary SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW) as standard equipment across the line. And of course they come with two FireWire 400 ports, three PCI expansion slots, ADC connector, DVI connector, analog audio in, analog audio out, optical S/PDIF in, optical S/PDIF out, front headphone and speaker jack and built-in Gigabit Ethernet -- all as standard equipment. All models are AirPort Extreme-ready, and offer Bluetooth capability as a build-to-order option.

Customer Reviews

The Ultimate Speed Demon
Once again, Apple leads the way. A super-fast, dual processor "flying" machine. Apple certainly has a way of packaging innovation into a box that virtually explodes when you need computing power. The G5 processor is part of the latest technology from IBM. It is a true 64-bit processor with automatic 32-bit processing capability (that translates to more speed because selection of 32 or 64 bit processing is handled directly by hardware.)
Apple includes their latest, highly stable, Unix-based operating system, OS X. A high powered graphics engine rounds out the core capabilities.
Apple has not forgotten the latest technology advances either.
The disk is Serial ATA, USB is version 2.0, both FireWire and FireWire 800 ports are included.
If you want to try wireless networking, the G5 is ready for AirPort Extreme (an optional card to allow your Mac to network wirelessly at up to 56 Mbps - 802.11g standard. Intel is still expounding the virtues of Centrino - 802.11b, which maxes out at 11 Mbps.) BlueTooth is another option, for wireless connectivity of closely located devices (printers, mice, keyboards, some cellular phones, etc.)
Additonal Features: The dual-processor model has eight memory slots (memory must be installed in matched pairs) for up to 8 GB of RAM. The SuperDrive allows you to read and write CDs and DVDs.
With all this going for it, can there be any negative points? Unfortunately, yes. Since they are minor points, in my opinion, they don't detract from the overall rating. The included keyboard seems a bit flimsy. The optical mouse needs a medium to dark colored, slightly textured, non-reflective surface to operate properly. Also, the price-point is still a bit high.
Overall, this machine is a great performer, extremely fast, stable and just plain fun to use.

Goodbye to Mickey and Intel
After 15 years of PCs, I got a Powerbook last year and fell deeply in love with it. Then decided to get the dual G5. At work, we had just bought all the software developers PCs 8 months before and the bloody HELL we went through when we had to take them from 1GB to 2 of RAM was insane. Since getting my G5, I've gone up to 3 GBs of RAM. Having the room to go to 8 is wonderful. I have NOTHING bad to say about this machine, it's the best setup I've ever used, and I have a database loaded on it, doing Java development, and using Final Cut Express and iTunes, etc. I would like to make a few points though.

Price: I see NO reason to believe that the price point on this is high at all. I would have paid the same price for a PC but it would have been in the trash in 18 months. With the memory capacity on this machine, I should be able to keep this at least 2x as long if not more. Also, Apple machines hold their value. Go look on eBay for old Powerbooks. It's insane, they are selling for a couple hundred less than new ones.

The quietness of this machine is a HUGE bene. For years, I have sat by as my PCs got louder and louder, and the suppliers struggled with more and more fans. Major points for the job done there.

Connectivity is superb. And Panther is a joy, no question the best OS I've ever used.

Apple's ad campaign about switching is kind of comical. Would be like showing Cool Hand Luke eating a steak dinner and saying he switched from raw eggs. This is the best ticket to a Mickeysoft jailbreak on the planet. Amazing how many developers seem to be hopping aboard. There's a reason this was picked tops for technical excellence by PC Mag.

I HAVE NO REGRETS!!!
PROS:
Amazing speed, and extremely quiet! I'm quite surprised that no one has yet given a review to this wonderful piece of equipment. I guess you don't need to. That statement about "you get what you pay for" is very true. But if you actually look at it, if I were to buy a top of the line dual AMD Opteron or Pentium Xeon system with the same basic configuration, I'd be spending about the same amount of money. And as a graphic designer, I almost went totally PC when I purchased a Pentium 2.8GHz HT (Hyper Threading - the so-called "multitasking" want a be Mac processor) for my wife. Well much to my dismay, I was using a demo of Adobe Photoshop CS to test the PCs' skills, only to find out that when I went to save a 160MB file, that I only saved about 7 to 8 seconds of time compared to my 5 year old G4 (400MHz single processor) system. Mind you, they both had the same amount of RAM. That's when I remembered testing one of the machines at an Apple store a few months before I almost made that fatal decision to go PC. I saved a 250MB Photoshop file in about 9 seconds!!! Now, the new G5 that's out is the dual 2.5's. So that means the dual 2.0 machines are $500 less (now, $2,500.00). And if you're like me, and can take a couple of weeks to spend some dedicated time to finding a better price, you can actually save about a thousand or more buying it used. I did. I purchased a G5 dual 2.0GHz, 250MB HD, with 1.5GB of RAM and the extended Apple Care Warranty; the full three years was already included with the machine, for a total of $2,400.00. (...) I was a little scared, because I heard about some horror stories about people who got taken of there hard earn money not to get what they paid for. I even found out that the person who owned this G5 was only 115 miles away. So I picked it up myself. He even had it open so I could try it out first. (...)Then you will find out what the going rate is (and also know who the "scammers" are who are trying to take you for your money). Email as many people that seem to be reasonably priced and ask for three things that you have a right to know; 1) What there serial number is on the machine 2) Where they bought it along with the original receipt 3) Get the owners full name and then call Apple (800-275-2273), to get through to the Apple Care Dept. (from last I checked, ext. 3), verify if the G5 belongs to them and if it's still under warranty. Also, ask if there is an option to extend it to the full 3 years; you will have to pay an additional $249.00, but it's completely worth every penny. I know that I'm going off the "review" topic here, but I believe that it is just as important, because of the fact that these machines are not cheap, and they were not available to buy (because of backorder situations, even through Apple), and I know that people want to save as much as they can when purchasing this system (or one like it). But again, we're going back to the beginning of what I said; "you get what you pay for." Another thing to add about this G5, they designed this machine from the inside-out, not the other way around; like I see in some PC towers that are built. The way this system is cooled is simply incredible. I was just reading MaxiumPC's (Sept. '04) review on case towers that just came out, and still NOTHING can touch the way they built this tower. Please do yourself a favor, if you can, either go to an Apple Store, CompUSA, Best Buy to physically try out a 1.8, 2.0, 2.5GHz G5 yourself, or check out there website (www.apple.com). You'll get more information than I can give here in this review. Again, I want to let everyone know (who reads this), that if I sound bias at all, I'm not, I REALLY was about to switch over to a PC; even my close friends were shocked when I said it to them. I actually felt humbled at one point saying that statement. But I'm glad I didn't make that mistake. If you're looking for a workhorse, this is the machine for you; and I'm ONLY talking to GRAPHIC DESIGNERS, VIDEO PRODUCERS AND THE LIKE; NOT to those who play video games on these machines. If you're looking for a gaming machine, then buy a PC. You'll have more to choose from, with thousands of games and more options to making your PC work better with faster framerates by overclocking the processor and graphics card, (only if you're into that kind of stuff and that you know what you're doing - only if - you overclock your PC).
(...) If you do your homework on this, (Graphic Designers - G5 Mac and PC Gamers - OverdrivePC) in the end, it will be worth it! I hope I've been helpful and good fortune to all who read this.

CONS:
None that I know of. Except I would give it a 9 (out of 10) for ease of use, because I was very acclimated to using OS9. OSX takes a day or two of adjusting, but it is a far better operating system to use in the end.